Sevilla days 3 - 3.5

artsy fartsy
the plan for day 3 in Sevilla was to fill up on art and see the northern part of the city center. We went through our usual routine of yogurt and fruitbat home followed by coffee/oj + croissant in a cafe, and then wandered over to the fine arts museum. It is in an old monestary and mostly 15th-18th century religious art that had been donated. I most enjoyed the display of 19th and 20th century paintings. Many were impressionist and either portraits or scenes from everyday life. 

The next stop was across the river at the ACCA, Andalusian Center for Contemporary Art. The trouble was that the building was not accurately positioned on our map, and we spent an extra mile in the sun trying to find it. There were a variety of fine and multimedia installations from international artists. We spent over an hour wandering through. 

The art centers had worked up quite the appetites in us, and we were on the far side of major construction from food. So we jumped on a bus (a/c!) and rode it all the way to Prado de San Sebastian on the south side of the city center. From there we walked through the university and found a sort of fast food/cafeteria place where we ordered fresh salads, mini-sandwiches, and lots of water. Emily found us a shaded route* all the way to the big wooden mushroom/tree sculpure, which we knew housed roman ruins. (there was a break for ice cream here when we got to the sculpture :-)
Thinking that we had just bought tickets to the exhibit, we stepped into an elevator... And rode to the walkway and viewing platform on top of the sculpture! We enjoyed the view of the city before riding back down and going in the correct door. 

Love these girls!

The roman city that was discovered while excavating the sculpture's foundation is very well displayed. Interactive displays next to each foundation gave a rendering of what it looked like and was used for. Our favorite part was probably the beautiful mosaics on the floors of several of the buildings. 
Having spanned Sevillan art from the 5th century to the 21st, we went on new quest for the medieval city walls. I was disappointed that i couldn't climb on then when we got tbere, but they were massive and a beautiful example of double wall defences. The low front wall was backed by a deep channel and then the higher wall which had supporting towers every 150-200 feet. 
We came back into downtown and walked through the long Hercules square. Legend says that the city was founded by the greek hero after he created the straight of Gibraltar, and the square has pillars topped by lions to honor him. We re-hydrated with OJ and trudged back home. 

As the weather cooled, we went out in search of dinner again and wound up at the same tapas bar as the first night. This time we knew better than to order 5 plates of food... Just tortilla with salmorejo sauce, a huge plate of jamon, a Spanish ratatouille with a quail egg cooked on top, and the usual bread. Plus a pitcher of sangria. 
Around 9 we wandered down to the river and spent a little of our travel money from Aunt Marilyn on renting sit on top kayaks for an hour. The river wasn't cold but still felt wonderful on our exhausted feet. We paddled up and half-floated back as the sun set over the city. We were lucky that Jone had her phone and got some pictures.

Our final morning was pretty relaxed. We dressed, packed, and walked with Jone to the bus station. We arrived with time for coffee and croissant, and then said our goodbyes as the airport bus pulled up. Somehow it seems easier to say goodbye after you've proven to yourself that it is really just "until next time."

Hasta la vista, Triana!

Em and i walked back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, checked out, walked to Fientorina Heladeria one last time (it was closed), got regular ice cream at a cafe, and got on our bus to Grenada...

* the reason for crooked streets in Moorish cities? They keep the sun out. It feels 10*cooler in the crevasses between the buildings!